Architecture of Love by Jude Luttrell Bradley
Villa del Mar passers-by might be surprised to learn the iconic Châteauesque skyscraper was completed in 1929. At 95 years old, the exterior of the historic building seems immune to the inevitable ravages of time. Even the nine gargoyles perched on the perimeter of the Villa’s once copper roof, now patinated with age, look as intimidating as the day they took up residence – equally ready and able to drain rainwater from the rooftop and to ward off evil spirits. Once the home of socialites, tycoons, and Prohibition ne’er-do-wells in the previous century, the Villa del Mar’s luxurious apartment homes were subdivided in the late 1980s, converted into cramped assisted living apartments for the elderly residents of Silver Strand Beach. Yet, the building’s exterior grandeur endures, masking her diminished interior.
My mother’s Villa del Mar top-floor apartment overlooks the ebb and flow of the vast Pacific Ocean, but most days her glassy stare seems not to notice the breathtaking view. Some days, her dreamy blue eyes blink in momentary recognition at my arrival. Other days, she barely stirs at the sight of me. During my weekend visits, I spiral strands of Mama’s wet hair around my index finger into nearly perfect O’s, hair ends on the outside. I secure each circular curl with an X made of two crisscrossed copper-colored bobby pins. When I was a fidgety child, Mama set my hair, naming the result of the process a “Maypole” curl, because, she said, “It goes round and round and round.”
When my mother moved into the Villa del Mar, before dementia, she took pride in her appearance. Now free of vanity’s demands, she sits still while I set her hair in pin curls, as she often used to set mine, to remind us both that we are kin.
Jude Luttrell Bradley is a Pushcart-nominated writer whose work has aired on National Public Radio and has appeared in literary publications including Thimble, Moon Love, One Page Poetry Anthology, Tupelo Press, and many more. Jude was the featured poet at the Boston Poetry Downtown Festival in September 2024. She is the Reverend Al Green’s most devoted fan.
Photo courtesy of Jude Luttrell Bradley
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